STARS IN OUR EYES

Vietnam

The first Livinwondr project is in Vietnam. Our theme is “Stars in Our Eyes”

Vietnam is a fast-changing nation of nearly 90 million people, with more than 40 percent of its population under the age of 25. Young people fuel rapid urbanization in the country, especially around Saigon/HCMC, the largest metropolis, with 10 million residents. As the economy grows and as the population shifts, the nation faces an amnesia of cultural history with the passing of its older citizens. What will Vietnam’s future look like, and what can the next generations offer? What are people’s concerns and hopes for their society? Based on the three interpretations of Livinwondr, we ask the public to respond to the following prompts:

What are your curiosities and desires regarding Vietnam?

How can we create beauty and fascination in our daily environments?

What forms can we imagine to respond to the changes that are remarkable to us?

“Stars in Our Eyes” is the theme that we chose to encompass these questions. We are collecting submissions that focus on the development of a new creative culture in Vietnam, one that takes preservation seriously but also embraces innovation. Responses will contribute to developing our sense of belonging in this evolving society, and each submission reflects our position that anyone can be a creator, a star that stands out, a singular emblem.

CREATIVE CULTURE IN VIETNAM

To contextualize our project, we give you a brief background on creative life in Vietnam. Because the nation is ruled by the Communist Party solely, much of its cultural production has been rooted in social realist messaging to promote state ideology. The state regulates cultural and social norms, as seen through its control of education, publication, and visual art and other creative production. Aesthetics in the public arena can be sensitive grounds for a government intent on protecting its political monopoly. As a result, citizens have limited education about and exposure to modern and contemporary art practices from around the world. Further, public art is akin to state-produced floral displays or propaganda billboards, in the eyes of many. Alongside an explosion of visual stimulation accompanying commercial growth and consumer power, art in Vietnamese public spaces is in sore need of redefinition.

“Stars in Our Eyes” asks you to contribute to remaking the meaning of art for Vietnam, to develop a new sense of place and a new sense of the future.